I work at a tech company in the south bay, and there have been 2 Stanford football ticket giveaways. We were email blasted by an HR representative who had I think 50 Stanford v Arizona tickets, and at an all hands meeting they announced they had a bunch of free Stanford v Washington tickets. Pretty sure the company isn't paying for these tickets, and we definitely don't sponsor Stanford football. I'm not sure how much of an impact this has on attendance, but Stanford probably gives out more free tickets than Cal.

Is it unreasonable to expect elite talent to produce an elite football team? Look at our current NFL players. Many Cal fans are upset by the fact that our teams were so loaded with future pro bowlers but so mediocre.